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Hilary Swank in 'Fast & Furious'?! Tyrese Says It Almost Happened

By Lynda Brendish 5:42 AM PDT, October 9, 2015

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We already know Helen Mirren is in everyone’s dream cast forFast 8, but what about Hilary Swank? According to actor Tyrese
Gibson, who plays fast-talking Roman Pearce in the high-octane franchise, it almost
happened!

ET spoke to Gibson at the Aruba International Film Festival on Wednesday,
where he was on hand to present Shame, the short film he wrote and
starred in alongside Dreamgirls star Jennifer Hudson. He told us
Swank had been interested in possibly joining the franchise.

“We were even having a conversation with Hilary Swank about
coming on board,” the 36-year old Transformers star says, revealing the
two actors met at an event in New York where the topic arose. “She ended up at
my house hanging out with me and a bunch of friends. That was a great
conversation. She was just so excited about the idea of doing something fun.”

Maybe Swank and Mirren could team up to add Oscar power
as the newest and baddest members of the Toretto crew. Earlier this year, the
also 70-year-old actress revealed her ride-or-die dream was a role in the
franchise.

"I've always wanted to be in a Fast and
Furious movie but they've never asked me," Mirren revealed to ET in March. "I don't understand why!"

With prestigious films like Boys Don’t Cry and Million
Dollar Baby under her belt, Swank might seem like unlikely casting for the
unabashedly brawny Furious films, but breaking out of type could be part
of the appeal. “You know a lot of actors are pigeonholed,” Gibson says. “While
some of us are heavily associated to the big box office movies, which is great,
we struggle with getting dramatic roles. And the people who do all the dramatic
roles, they struggle with getting the big box office fun roles.”

With Shame, Gibson has created an intense and
dramatic role for himself, a big departure from previous work. The film is
based on and incorporates the song of the same name from the singer’s most
recent album, Black Rose. Gibson
plays a 60s-era singer struggling with drugs and staying faithful to his wife,
played by Hudson.

Watch how Vin Diesel reacted to the news that Mirren wanted to join the franchise: